Somewhere In Between
by MistressKiko
Summary: Noiz only wanted to alleviate boredom. Aoba only wanted to do his job. A one-thousand-dollar offer was what jump-started a highly unlikely relationship that neither were sure what to make of. Alternate Universe.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Somewhere In Between  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing: ** Noiz/Aoba  
**WARNING: THIS STORY DEPICTS MALE/MALE RELATIONSHIPS.**

**XX**

**XX**

**ATTENTION**

**XX**

**XX**

**Sagta, username 'junjoupureheart' on Tumblr, will be illustrating this fic! To see her wonderful drawings, please find this story on Archive of Our Own under the author 'realmspinner'. Thanks!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 01**

It wasn't his ideal job.

The tight leather pants hugging his lower half was a constant reminder of that fact.

Glancing at the crowd from behind the bar, Seragaki Aoba shuffled from foot to foot, willing the nerves to disappear. There really weren't _that_ many people. It wasn't crowded. Glitter was a little too far away from the city center to accomplish a full house.

Not like that mattered much. Whether it be in front of a crowd of people or a single friend, leather and skin were not a comforting combo. Sometimes a man had to do what a man had to do, and with an aging grandmother and a twin who had been working hard at the same job for over four years, this was one of those times.

It really wasn't his fault he'd been skipping from job to job since high school graduation. It was just bad luck.

Really.

An incorrect accusation that he stole money from a cash register, an accidental nap on the job, and two cases of a business going bankrupt and shutting down left Aoba with the frustration of filling out countless applications and looking through the classifieds. It was only by a stroke of luck that one of the dancers at Glitter quit, and Aoba's best friend Koujaku, who worked as a bartender in the club, flung Aoba in to fill the void. In a declining economy, it would be completely idiotic not to jump on the opportunity.

Though he most certainly had second thoughts.

Koujaku did too, if his expression after seeing Aoba in the leather outfit for the first time was any indication.

But even so, embarrassment was something Aoba could deal with. It wasn't like there weren't rules.

No stripping.

No touching.

They weren't running an escort service here! Though it was a running joke between the dancers that they would certainly make four-or-more-times the amount they actually receive if they did. Aoba figured they liked to mention it a lot as a dig to the manager.

He'd grown to like the place, despite it all. Along with getting to work with his best friend, he'd met and become friends with a few of the staff members, and even some of the regular customers.

Some.

It was a club, after all, and rowdy, lewd drunks were not uncommon.

Thankfully, Mink, the bouncer Aoba was kind of scared to approach even still, had a sharp eye and a good sense of character. He knew when people had had enough to drink and dealt with them accordingly.

Said bouncer was currently stationed near the front door, talking with Koujaku.

Well.

More like listening to Koujaku while offering short affirmations when needed.

"Ah, Aoba, your zipper is unzipped!"

Aoba stopped his little foot dance, looking over his shoulder. Clear, a cheerful young man who warmed up to him rather quickly, pointed an accusatory finger at the zipper on Aoba's back.

"Ah... I was going to ask Koujaku for help but..." Aoba answered, nodding his head toward Koujaku and Mink. "Would you mind?"

"Not at all!" Clear said, swiftly pulling the zipper down. "Is that satisfactory?"

"Very. Thanks," Aoba said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Clear was... a bit of an oddball, but if there was one thing utterly impossible to accomplish, it was not smiling while in the white-haired boy's presence. The boy had charisma down to a tee.

Koujaku swore he had some part in that.

"I hope you have fun out there tonight. Aoba is the perfect combination of sexy and cute; the customers will surely love the show!" Clear declared. Even though the phrase was something Clear used often, the tips of Aoba's ears still managed to flush red.

Before Aoba could wrack his brain for an answer to that, Clear was already a few feet away, tending to a customer. It was time to work, anyway. Aoba glanced at Koujaku once more, but he was still preoccupied. Along with asking for help with the zipper, Aoba had wanted to ask him a question.

Oh well. They'd see each other later.

With his nerves steeled and an almost convincing carefree smile on his face, Aoba made his way over to his spot.

All the dancers had their designated spots, located on small, circular, elevated platforms throughout the club. Each platform was surrounded by two bars forming somewhat of a fence; this was used as a restriction line in case customers wanted to get a little too hands-on. Though throwing tips between the bars was always welcome. Aoba hoped there would be at least one person willing to throw money away tonight.

He wasn't aware that his back was facing a blond-haired man who'd just walked in with that very purpose in mind.

Noiz had never been to this part of town before, even though he lived somewhat close. He'd never been interested, until it just got too boring to sit around at home.

He hadn't heard from the Junkyard Guys in a while. 'Junkyard Guys' because it wasn't even worth remembering their names. It wouldn't be surprising if they finally got their asses caught by the cops, or even wound up lying in a ditch somewhere.

It would suck, though.

Some hand-to-hand combat was always a good way to take care of the boredom.

Venturing into the club, Noiz's lime green eyes darted around. Typical music, typical lighting, typical layout, typical people; there wasn't really anything that stood out.

But there were eyes on his back.

He glanced over his shoulder to see a burly man with brunette dreads staring him down.

Heh, did he really look so dangerous?

Ignoring the stare, Noiz made his way up to the bar and sat down on an end stool. Two bartenders were busily doing this and that, tending to the customers. Seemed like there was some kind of party happening at the other end of the bar, where a group of people were packed in a small area and generally being loud, including occasional whistles and cat-calls most likely aimed at the four dressed-up employees dancing on platforms.

Maybe 'dressed-down' would be a more appropriate term.

"Got some ID on you?"

Noiz raised his gaze to see one of the bartenders in front of him. Only one scarlet eye was visible, the other hiding behind long black bangs, but that one eye was all Noiz needed to see to know the guy was skeptical.

As he should be. Noiz was nineteen.

But that wasn't what his ID said.

"Not even a greeting," Noiz muttered while pulling out his ID card. "Reflects this sub-standard place."

He threw the ID on the bar and watched the man, 'Koujaku' after a quick look at his name-tag, form a tight-lipped smile.

"Have you ever been here before?" Koujaku asked, scrutinizing the card.

"No."

"Then please, don't judge on appearances alone," Koujaku continued pointedly, hesitantly sliding the card back across the counter. Noiz pocketed it and shrugged.

"What's good here?" Noiz asked. Koujaku's eye twitched at the blatant dismissal of his advice.

"Well, what flavors do you like?" Koujaku said.

"Whatever," Noiz said with another shrug.

"... alright then," Koujaku backed down, deciding to make something quick and easy so he could move on from this... admittedly annoying guy. A Whiskey Sour was made and given to the blond within a minute.

Koujaku thought it fit. A sour drink for a sour person.

Noiz grabbed at the cherry stem, experimentally bobbing the red fruit in and out of the liquid. It was bright yellow and thin... he took a sniff and his nose crinkled. He was never a fan of the smell of alcohol, but there was a hint of citrus too.

Lifting the glass to his lips, he took a sip.

It was strong and tart. He could feel the warmth slide down his throat and spread throughout his chest. He licked his bottom lip before popping the cherry into his mouth and languidly chewing.

Not bad.

His taste buds grew more accustomed to the sourness as he continued to drink.

"Hey handsome," a voice came from his side. He glanced over to see another man, older than him by a couple years at least and flashing an admittedly nice smile, leaning on the bar next to his seat. His blue eyes widened when he got a clear view of Noiz's face. "Oh wow, hey, how many piercings do you have?"

It was a conversation starter for sure.

To Noiz, a rather boring one.

He took his gaze off the newcomer, tilting his head back to down the rest of his drink. The ice in clinked and rattled when Noiz shook it in the air to demand the bartender's attention again. He inwardly smirked at the irritation Koujaku was trying to hide.

"Make me something else," Noiz said. As soon as Koujaku went to pick up the glass, the newcomer raised his hand.

"Ah, let me get that one for him," he offered, grabbing his wallet from his jean's pocket. With a curt sigh, Noiz darted his hand out to rest it on the guy's hand and turned to him with a pointed look.

"Don't waste your time," Noiz said, barely getting a glimpse at the man's anger before turning back to Koujaku making his drink.

"Asshole," the newcomer muttered before disappearing.

The next drink was light brown and thicker. Koujaku had called it a White Russian. It smelled considerably worse than the Whiskey Sour, but the coffee and cream flavors mixed well against his tongue.

He turned his seat around, sipping on the drink and observing the club. There still wasn't anything exciting happening, mainly just people intoxicated or high on life either dancing the night away or chatting it up with others. The club's dancers were also getting some of the attention, as small crowds were surrounding the elevated platforms out on the floor.

One of the dancers had a beautifully rare hair color. Royal blue. Even under the ever-changing lights, Noiz could make out the true color.

He was almost surprised when all he was sucking through the straw was air. Swiveling around, he ordered Koujaku to make him something else again.

This time, the red-eyed bartender really did frown.

"We're kind of busy right now, so it would be nice if you'd just tell me what to make for you," Koujaku reasoned. Noiz raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't aware of the long amount of time it would take a bartender to come up with a drink," Noiz replied, deadpanned. The underlying sarcasm and criticizing tone set Koujaku's cheeks on fire.

"... I don't even think you know the names of any drinks, because I don't believe you're twenty-one!" Koujaku accused.

"I showed you my ID already."

"It could be fake!"

"And how old are you?"

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"You're throwing a fit like a child would."

"...!" Koujaku was grinding his teeth. Noiz smirked.

"Are you wanting to deck me right now?"

"Are you trying to pick a fight?!" Koujaku fumed. Unfortunately, before Noiz could say yes, that was exactly what he was doing, the other bartender rushed into the scene.

"Koujaku. Hey, look at me," the white-haired bartender said, taking hold of Koujaku's cheeks. "Calm down."

"But he-!"

"Do I have to sing the Jellyfish song to calm you down?" He asked, and Koujaku's red cheeks grew a shade darker.

"Not _here_!" Koujaku exclaimed, before taking a deep breath. "... I'm calm, okay?"

Entertainment taken from him, Noiz almost pouted.

A kill-joy. Typical.

"I won't order anything else anyway," Noiz said, waving a hand in the air and turning his seat away from the bar once more. Somewhat disheartened, he pulled out his phone and began playing a game, for lack of anything better to do.

He wasn't sure how long he was playing that game. Soon enough, the tale-tell pressure in his bladder prodded him to take a trip to the bathroom, so he pocketed his game and stood up.

That royal blue hair again.

The guy who he'd noticed dancing earlier was now standing right next to the male restroom's entrance. Next to him was a blond with black-rimmed glasses.

Noiz passed without much of a thought.

Aoba stepped aside when someone brushed against him to get into the bathroom.

It was the place he was trying to go into himself, after an hour dancing, but Virus had caught up to him before he had the chance. Virus was someone who came here often, but an employee/customer relationship was all that existed between them as of yet.

Though Virus was clearly trying to change that.

Aoba almost didn't believe his ears.

"... run that by me again?" Aoba asked, dumbfounded. Virus just smiled cordially.

"You are quite a beautiful man. I've had my eye on you for some time now," Virus began. Aoba could hardly keep eye contact. Being told that so honestly was rather embarrassing. "I'm asking if you'd join me for the night. I'm willing to pay, of course."

Good gosh, Aoba really had to pee.

"Ah... I'm... flattered," Aoba began, backing one foot into the restroom. He hoped Virus would get the hint that he was kind of in a hurry and drop this. "But I'm going to have to decline-"

"Why?" Virus asked immediately, tipping his head to the side as if he was honestly confused about Aoba's reply. "Am I not your type? Ah, could it be the glasses?"

"What. No, no, just..." Aoba sighed, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. "I'm... uncomfortable with the thought of using my body for money. I won't do it."

Virus frowned.

"Well. That certainly is too bad," Virus sighed, though he didn't move away just yet. "If you're embarrassed, no one would have to know. I am perfectly fine with keeping you to myself."

"I won't," Aoba said again, this time with more emphasis. In fact, Aoba was a little startled by how his refusal echoed within the bathroom walls.

"Ah," Virus spoke, that smile back in place. "I will admit defeat. Though if you ever change your mind, I'll be around. I hope you don't think bad of me..?"

"... no, I don't, really," Aoba assured, though he was a little sour about the question in general. But more importantly, this guy had to leave because he wanted to take a piss! Badly! And taking your dick out in front of a guy trying to pay you for sex was not at the top of his 'To Do' list!

Thankfully, Virus did retreat, and Aoba sent a silent prayer up to Heaven as he turned around. Once again, he brushed shoulders with the same guy who'd come in before, and he said a quick word of apology before making a break for the urinal.

"Sorry!" Was what he'd said as they'd passed. Noiz made his way out of the bathroom, smirking.

He'd overheard the whole thing.

"'I won't', hah?" Noiz muttered, finding it amusing. He wished he'd heard the very beginning, so he knew how much the guy offered.

Must not have been much.

It was... cute, hearing someone trying to be righteous in a world that was greedy and selfish. He hadn't come across that in a while.

Everyone wanted something.

Everyone had a motive for doing what they did.

There was no way that guy had money if he was working at a place like this.

Said guy was coming back out of the bathroom. Noiz followed his movements across the floor and up to the bar.

That hair color really was something. His face was nice to look at, and the torso he bared in that outfit was lean and had just the right amount of muscle. Not too much, not too little. As he reached the bar and leaned over on it, Noiz's eyes trailed along his back to the curve of his ass.

He wasn't bad on the eyes at all.

Hm.

"Give me a Pepsi, please?" He spoke to the bartender that had spoiled Noiz's fun earlier by interrupting.

"You're sweating! You should drink water!" He argued. Koujaku laughed at the exchange and looked over at them.

"You should listen to him, Aoba," Koujaku said, earning him a pout from Aoba.

Aoba.

So that was his name.

"Fiiine, get me some water then," Aoba sighed dramatically. "You two are like nagging mothers."

The person who was sitting next to where Aoba stood got up and left.

Perfect.

"I am only looking out for Aoba's health. Did you know that dehydration can cause dizziness, confusion, weight loss, significant drops in blood loss, and even illness?" The white-haired man rattled, handing the cup of water over. Aoba chuckled, not looking worried in the least.

Noiz slid into the now-vacant seat beside Aoba.

"Aoba," he began, testing the name on his lips. The man stopped sipping water and turned toward him, looking somewhat confused. "That's your name, right?"

Noiz watched those amber eyes study him, surely trying to find something familiar. Giving up, Aoba smiled.

"Yeah, that's me," Aoba answered, straightening his posture. "And you are...?"

Aoba took another drink of water. He was slightly confused about how this guy knew his name, but if he had been here before, he guessed it wasn't a big deal. Though he'd certainly never seen this guy in here before. He would have remembered the.. one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight- holy hell that was a lot of piercings.

Wow, that had to hurt.

The corner of Noiz's lips turned up at the question, and he smugly leaned forward.

"The one who's taking you home tonight," Noiz whispered. Well, he tried to whisper. The music was a little loud to speak too softly, but Noiz was very aware that Koujaku was looking at them. He figured that guy wouldn't like hearing something like this.

Aoba's mouth dropped open, and for a moment he looked shocked. In the next moment, however, his mouth snapped shut.

"... excuse me?" Aoba asked, hoping he heard wrong. This could not be happening twice in one night, one after the other.

What the hell was he supposed to be, a cheap whore?

"Will a thousand do?" Noiz offered, in Aoba's eyes, way too nonchalantly.

Aoba had to stop his mouth from falling open again, but for an entirely different reason.

Did this guy seriously just say a thousand dollars!?

"Are you seriously offering me a thousand dollars to sleep with you?" Aoba asked slowly, repeating his thoughts. That little smug smirk that Aoba decided he didn't like one bit just got bigger, but the man made no sign of responding. Aoba took a deep breath and forced a smile onto his face. "Listen. You're asking the wrong guy-"

"Three thousand?" Noiz interrupted.

This time Aoba couldn't stop his bottom lip from dropping again.

"... you're just pulling my leg now," Aoba accused, sending him a glare and taking another drink. He got at least a little satisfaction when the blond looked surprised.

"I'm not," Noiz said defiantly. Aoba frowned.

"I don't want your money, thanks," Aoba grumbled, pushing off the bar and walking away. Noiz watched him go with raised eyebrows.

The guy wasn't giving in because he didn't believe him.

This was a problem.

Noiz saw an ATM near the entrance.

Maybe not much of a problem after all.

But he really wasn't expecting the amount of outrage on Aoba's face when he re-approached him with the cold hard cash in hand.

"I said no! Do you understand what the word means?!" Aoba exclaimed, pointing a finger into Noiz's chest. "You need to know when to quit, buddy. I'm not some... object you can buy, alright?! This is not that kind of place!"

"Is there a problem here?" Mink asked, walking up to the both of them. Aoba took a deep breath and said no before stomping away. Mink glared at Noiz, but Noiz was too busy watching Aoba's back.

… really. Nothing was fun here.

However, Noiz had found something that wasn't so typical.

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Somewhere In Between  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing: ** Noiz/Aoba  
**WARNING: THIS STORY DEPICTS MALE/MALE RELATIONSHIPS.**

**XX**

**XX**

**ATTENTION**

**XX**

**XX**

**Sagta, username 'junjoupureheart' on Tumblr, will be illustrating this fic! To see her wonderful drawings, please find this story on Archive Of Our Own under the author 'realmspinner'. Thanks!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 02  
**

A sweet aroma had slithered through the air, rose up the stairs, and seeped under the crack of Aoba's bedroom door. The minute it hit his nostrils, Aoba halted his mission to put a shirt on and took a big wiff.

That could be nothing but his grandma's famous donuts.

He hurriedly slipped his arm through the armhole and jogged downstairs, where the aroma only grew stronger. Tae must have just taken them out of the frier, for the oil was still bubbling.

"Morning grandma," Aoba greeted cheerfully. Tae glanced at him before turning the faucet on to wash her hands.

"It's hardly morning," Tae grunted. She quickly did a 180-degree turn and slapped the hand Aoba had reached out to grab a donut with. Aoba opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off. "They are too hot; you'll burn your fingers."

"I could handle it," Aoba pouted, staring forlornly at the fried treats. He quickly shook his hand back and forth to get the water off. Tae had hit him with a wet hand.

"Hmph," Tae said, clearly communicating what she thought of that. "You need to eat something more substantial anyway. This sleep schedule is ridiculous."

Aoba busied himself by getting a glass of milk.

"I can't help that I have a job where I'm out passed midnight," Aoba said. He frowned and shook the nearly-empty milk carton. Looked like a trip to the store would be coming up soon.

"And how is that job going?" Tae asked, sitting at the dining room table. Aoba grabbed his glass of milk and sat across from her, taking a refreshing gulp.

"Good. Same as always," Aoba said. There was no need to mention the recent questionable instances. He was already well aware Tae did not approve of this job. In fact, he would bet that the only reason Tae didn't raise more of a fuss was because Koujaku worked there too.

That, and Sei always stuck up for Aoba. Even if they were twins, Aoba could not even come close to the puppy-dog eyes Sei could pull off.

"I see. Do you work this Friday?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Sei is off. He'll be taking me to the hospital," Tae explained, and Aoba tensed.

"Wait, what for? Did they find something in the last scan?" Aoba asked. Tae waved a hand in the air like it was no big deal.

"Those doctors just want to squeeze as much money as they can out of their patients. It's ridiculous," Tae grumbled. "If they're not looking for this, they're looking for that."

Aoba frowned. Tae was no longer a young woman. Even if her personality was as strong as ever, her body was starting to fall behind. Hospital visits were becoming more frequent.

It was a reality Aoba didn't even want to think about.

"Call my cell phone after the appointment. I'll leave it with Koujaku," Aoba said.

"You never learn anything right after an appointment. Don't worry about it," Tae replied. Aoba sighed.

"Fine," he relented, finishing off his milk. He got up to put the glass in the sink, and then walked back over to the table to hug Tae's shoulders from behind. "I'm getting ready for work. I'll see you tomorrow."

"The coddling is unnecessary," Tae mumbled, but Aoba just smiled and kissed her cheek before letting her go. Aoba was almost out of the kitchen before she spoke up again. "Aoba."

"Hm?"

"One donut."

"Yes!"

Sometimes, television shows were too captivating. Especially when you're getting ready for work and an extra twenty minutes slip by without your knowledge.

Woops.

Aoba rushed inside Glitter, outfit in hand. He quickly weaved through the crowd and slipped behind the bar and around the corner, where the time clock was waiting for him.

"Running late?" Koujaku commented with a grin.

"Just a bit," Aoba grinned back, looking out at the floor as he clocked in.

There he was again.

Always in that last seat on the end of the bar. He never really talked to anyone, or had anyone with him. It seemed his hobbies were playing on his phone, aggravating Koujaku, and... well, staring at Aoba... every day... since two days ago when he made an outrageous offer of one-thousand dollars for Aoba to go home with him.

Aoba was still trying to wrap his mind around that amount of money.

He ripped his gaze away from the blond man and ran to the back to change. Koujaku was waiting for him when he came back out, with a frown on his face.

"Do you know that brat at the end of the bar?" Koujaku asked, pointing to Mr. One Thousand. Aoba hesitated. Koujaku didn't know about the offer.

"... not really. I mean he's said a few words to me," Aoba said. Nothing he said was a lie. He was just conveniently leaving out some things.

"He is constantly staring at you," Koujaku spoke distastefully. "And he's a major asshole. Avoid him if you can, alright?"

Aoba smiled and patted Koujaku on the shoulder.

"Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine," Aoba assured. He took three steps before remembering something. "Oh, Koujaku?"

"Yeah?"

"Before I forget to ask... you like birds, right?"

* * *

A few miles away, birds of all species and colors were fluttering their wings and hopping on their perches as they impatiently waited for their caretaker. Sei was going from cage to cage, checking the food and water, and the cleanliness of both the animals and cages.

"How are you all doing today?" Sei asked with a smile as he filled a feeder. The birds inside the cage chirped at him as if greeting him. One hopped over to the side of the cage, peaking its beak between the bars. Sei used a finger to massage its head, and the bird leaned into the touch without hesitation.

The place was called Companion Stop; a small pet store located at the end of a busy shopping center. Sei had worked here for about four years now, and found himself rather attached to a lot of the animals. Of course, in this line of business, he saw many of them come and go, so he often passed his time playing with them while he could.

Animals had always seemed to love him, ever since he was a child.

The bell over the door rang, signaling someone had stepped into the shop.

"Hey Seeeei!" Came a loud, boyish greeting.

Unfortunately, another thing that happened to love him were these three neighborhood siblings. Turning away from the cages, Sei observed the three with a pensive smile.

He liked them.

He really did.

But sometimes they were quite the handful.

"Kio. Nao. Mio," he greeted. The eldest, Kio, came running up to him with a big grin on his face and a bag clutched in his hand.

"Hey, hey, I have a magic trick to show you!" Kio announced, opening his bag and pulling out random props.

"Do you?" Sei asked, glancing up at the other two. They looked to be observing some of the puppies.

"I learned this the other day; dad taught me!" Kio explained. He had a top hat and everything. Sei had to chuckle at that. "You gotta pay attention, okay?"

"Alright," Sei agreed. There was always a trick behind magic. Sei challenged himself to catch the trick.

However, unbeknownst to Sei, Nao and Mio were waiting for the split second Sei was enraptured in the magic trick. They looked at each other, devious smiles running across their lips, and nodded.

Quietly, they began unlatching the puppy's cages, and lifting some of the puppies out of the open boxes. Nao scurried behind Sei's back and stood on his tip-toes to open some of the bird cages.

"TA-DA!" Kio exclaimed as his magic trick was complete. Mio quickly ran over to the bunnies while Sei began clapping, and slid the door open. As soon as Sei looked over to observe the shop, Kio dipped into his bag and pulled out a horn. Taking a deep breath, he blew into it, hard. The loud sound reverberated off the walls and left their ears ringing.

"Wha-" Sei tried to say, but the sound of flapping wings and small running feet made his body tense up. The noise had bothered the animals too, and there were now birds flying around, puppies running, and bunnies hopping all across the store! "Ah!"

The children laughed with glee, running around with the animals.

Frantically, Sei managed to catch one of the puppies and hoist it in his arms. He was hardly even aware of the bell above the shop door chiming again.

"Kids... grab them!" Sei yelled.

"Waaaah! Let's get out of here!" Nao exclaimed, making a dash for the door. Mio followed close behind, but before she knew it, one of the puppies came running around the corner, heading straight for her!

"Aaah!" Mio screamed as the pup slammed into her legs. She flailed her arms as she lost balance and fell forward, squeezing her eyes shut to brace for the impact.

It never came.

Something was holding her around the stomach.

She looked up to see someone she'd never seen before... an older guy with blond, choppy hair and green eyes. She continued to stare as he brought her to her feet.

"Things don't always go as planned, huh," Noiz spoke, raising an eyebrow down at her. He happened to be passing by right before the incident occurred, and had been persuaded to stop when he saw the bunnies through the glass window.

Mio flushed red.

"Mio!" Nao yelled at the entrance.

"Hurry up!" Kio joined him.

"... hmph," Mio said before ripping her gaze from Noiz and rushing to catch up with her brothers.

With the brats gone, Sei let out an exasperated sigh, and Noiz looked down when a bunny hopped right onto his foot. He blinked, and then leaned down to pick it up.

"I'm terribly sorry about the shop's state right now!" Sei apologized, placing the puppy back in its pin. Noiz followed suit, bringing the bunny back to where it belonged.

"Nice kids," Noiz commented, following after another bunny. Despite being frazzled, Sei laughed.

"Angels," Sei commented, worriedly looking up at the birds. They were perching on things much too high to reach.

With Noiz's help, most of the animals were back in their cages in no time. Only a couple of the birds stayed stubbornly out of reach.

"Thank you so much for your help. Again, I'm sorry about the scene you walked in on," Sei said, somewhat embarrassed. Noiz shrugged and casually looked down at the bunnies. Sei quietly observed him, slightly surprised at the silence. "Was there something in particular you came here for?"

"No," was all Noiz offered.

"Ah," Sei said, for lack of anything better to say. He looked back and forth between Noiz and the bunnies. Had this guy merely stepped in the store to help round up the animals? That was awfully nice of him.

"... that one," Noiz suddenly muttered, pointing down at the bunnies. "It's different from the rest."

Sei had a bit of a problem following Noiz's finger, but knew which bunny he was speaking of as soon as he said that.

"Ah, yeah. All her brothers and sisters were sold already," Sei explained. The one black and white bunny was sitting in the corner, twitching its pink nose. Sei clasped his hands behind his back. "Would you like to hold her?"

Noiz glanced at him, but quickly looked back down.

"... not really," Noiz answered. Sei lifted an eyebrow and smiled.

"Well," Sei began, leaning down and scooping the rabbit up in one hand, "I think Cookie wants to be held."

Before Noiz could protest, Sei was pushing the bun into Noiz's chest. Noiz quickly took hold of her, frowning. That frown gradually melted, though, as he gently stroked her fur.

'He's very gentle with her. I thought so,' Sei thought, pleased with himself. The guy could easily be deemed suspicious, with all those piercings and loose clothing combined with a reserved demeanor. Sei also noticed his knuckles were rough, flaunting a few scrapes.

Holding that bunny, however, his expression was anything but threatening.

"Cookie, huh?" Noiz mumbled to himself. He traced her ears with his fingertip, making her shake her head. The corner of his lips quirked upward at the sight. "Somehow fitting."

Sei nodded in agreement.

"She seems to like you. Sure you didn't come here for anything?" Sei asked. It was almost comical how the blond suddenly looked caught off-guard, like a kid who just got his hand caught in the cookie jar.

".. yes, I'm sure," Noiz said, immediately holding Cookie back out to Sei. Sei chuckled and took the bunny back.

"Who knows how much longer she'll be here," Sei taunted with a smile. Noiz said nothing, just turned to exit. Sei rubbed behind Cookie's ears with a finger and sighed. It was obvious the guy loved animals, or at least rabbits. He wondered what was stopping him from owning one. An apartment that didn't allow pets? Living with someone who had allergies?

He put Cookie back with the rest of the bunnies and looked up at the still-stubborn birds with a frown.

Outside of the shop, Aoba and Koujaku were walking down the sidewalk, enjoying their day off. Aoba knew Sei's pet shop had been low on business lately, and it would make Sei look good if he was the one who made a few sales. Koujaku had always been a fan of birds, so what better time to drag him to buy one while Sei was working?

"I'm still not sure about this," Koujaku spoke, seeing the pet shop sign up ahead.

"Oh come on, you live alone. I'd be nice to have a pet around," Aoba persuaded.

"Exactly, I live alone and I work. What about leaving the poor thing alone?" Koujaku reasoned. Even as he half-heartedly argued, he knew he was going to buy a bird anyway. To be honest, he'd always wanted one, and who was he to turn down something Aoba wanted?

"That's why a bird is a good choice. They don't need constant care like a dog or something," Aoba replied. He cast his gaze in front of him as they walked, taking in the pet shop sign, the buildings, the road, the pedestrians...

Wait.

Was that...?

That guy.

He had just seen that blond from the club round a corner and walk out of sight. Though it was at somewhat of a distance, he was positive it was the guy that offered him the thousand dollars.

A scowl marred his lips.

Maybe it was just a coincidence but... he hoped he didn't have a stalker on his hands. The guy was already nerve-wracking enough, staring him down at the club ever since the night they met. It wouldn't be a surprise, nor would it be the first time, that some person with stalker-tendencies took a liking to him. In fact, another Glitter dancer had a similar case just two weeks ago that ended with a restraining order.

"Aoba?" Koujaku asked. Aoba halted, realizing he was about to walk right passed the pet shop.

"Oh.. woops, got a little lost in my thoughts," Aoba brushed it off, opening the door for Koujaku. The bell chimed above them. Koujaku gave him a weird look but made his way inside.

No reason to spoil the mood right now.

Aoba would deal with that guy later.

"Wel- Koujaku! Aoba!" Sei said with a big smile when he saw familiar faces.

"Yo, Sei," Koujaku greeted as Aoba waved.

"You didn't tell me you were coming," Sei said to Aoba as he walked over to them.

"Wasn't sure this guy would agree on getting a bird," Aoba explained. At the word 'bird', Sei glanced up.

"Well, due to an incident with the Trio, some of them are unavailable at the moment."

Aoba's face immediately went sour.

"Those three kids? Sometimes I'm glad I work somewhere that only allows twenty-one and over," Aoba said honestly.

"What do you mean, sometimes? You're lucky I got you a job," Koujaku teased, to which Aoba pouted.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm very grateful to you," Aoba spoke with sarcasm, but they both knew his words were sincere.

"So! Show me these birds," Koujaku said. Sei gestured them over toward the bird cages, but they didn't get very far.

There was a flutter of wings, and Koujaku stopped in mid-step when he felt a light weight settle on his shoulder. All three men looked at the small red sparrow in surprise. It was one of the birds that had been resting near the ceiling, but it now looked completely content snuggling down onto Koujaku's shoulder.

Aoba started laughing.

"Rather than you picking a bird, I think the bird picked you!" Aoba chuckled. Koujaku grinned.

"I don't know about this. This little guy looks like he'd run my household," Koujaku joked, tentatively reaching a finger toward the sparrow. He flicked his wings, cocked his head, and then jumped from Koujaku's shoulder to his finger. "What do you call this guy?"

"Beni," Sei answered with a smile. "Should I give you the play-by-play on what you'll need to buy with him?"

"That would be much appreciated," Koujaku agreed.

"See, I told you this was a good idea," Aoba gushed.

"Now if only we can get that last bird down here, everything would be normal again," Sei sighed.

It took the three men eight minutes to gather the works for Beni, and another ten minutes to stand around and chat before Koujaku and Aoba left the shop. Koujaku carried the cage with his newly-found friend inside, while Aoba carried the bag of bird feed and other knick-knacks.

"Want to stop by? I think we still have some donuts left," Aoba asked as they neared the intersection where they would have to part ways. Koujaku's expression look tortured.

"As much as I hate to turn that down, I have an appointment in an hour," Koujaku explained apologetically.

"Hair cut?" Aoba asked. Even without educational training, Koujaku had always been ridiculously good at cutting hair. The people around his neighborhood knew this, and he would accept reservations on his days off.

"Dye job, too," Koujaku added. When they got to the intersection, Aoba handed him what he officially called the 'birdie bag'.

"Take care of this guy, alright?" Aoba asked. Koujaku scowled when he realized Aoba was talking to the bird, and Aoba grinned.

A ring tone suddenly filtered through the area around them, and Koujaku looked down at his pocket in surprise.

"Could you..." Koujaku asked, gesturing toward it. His hands were full.

"Pff," Aoba replied, reaching in Koujaku's front pocket to retrieve the phone. He was merely going to press a button to make it shut up, but his eyes caught the name of the texter.

Immediately after, Aoba's own phone started ringing. He quickly snatched it and opened the text.

'Hey you two. I'm making arrangements to come visit the old hometown. Let me know when I'd be able to hang out with you. -Mizuki.'

* * *

_Thank you for reading! Sorry if this was a boring chapter; more Noiz/Aoba interaction is in the next chapter!_

_Also, I'm not sure sparrows are allowed to be sold in the US, but let's just let that slide, okay? Okay._


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Somewhere In Between  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing: ** Noiz/Aoba  
**WARNING: THIS STORY DEPICTS MALE/MALE RELATIONSHIPS.**

**XX**

**XX**

**ATTENTION**

**XX**

**XX**

**Sagta, username 'junjoupureheart' on Tumblr, will be illustrating this fic! To see her wonderful drawings, please find this story on Archive Of Our Own under the author 'realmspinner'. Thanks!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 03**

Noiz leaned his back against the bar, sipping on the newest concoction Koujaku decided to shove at him. It was more like an slushie than an actual drink, but the cold ice melted on his tongue and felt refreshing in the heat of the club. It was also sweet, something he immediately liked.

It'd been a week since his first time coming to Glitter. He'd been here five of those seven days, just passing the time drinking, playing the game on his cell phone, and observing the club's number one dancer.

He hadn't heard anyone call Aoba number one, but it was fairly obvious. The man had a lot of admirers, many who made sure to leave a little tip on the platform he danced on every night they came.

Nothing even close to a thousand dollars in one night.

Noiz just couldn't figure it out. He thought Aoba stupid for turning him down. He figured if he'd keep showing his face, Aoba would notice, and jump at the chance to rethink the decision.

Aoba definitely noticed, alright.

The man would glance in his direction frequently, though he tried to make it look like he was ignoring Noiz all together. Even so, Aoba never made a move in his direction.

There was a brief moment in the beginning where Noiz figured he'd just let it go and find entertainment elsewhere. All the socialites trying to drag him out to the dance floor or hit on him were annoying, and Koujaku was clearly not an enjoyment. He might have been, if other employees didn't jump in when the bartender started losing his temper.

Noiz could totally take him.

In the end, the fact his phone brought in no new messages and his house was boring as hell made him venture back to Glitter.

And maybe there was a smidge of blame in the idea that Aoba turning him down was... irritating.

Noiz sucked down the rest of his drink and grabbed the cherry, ripping it from its stem with his teeth. He pondered getting another one; a Pina Colada, was what Koujaku called it? However, a sudden vibration in his pocket halted that thought.

He took out his phone and read the message.

Finally.

Those assholes at the junkyard were challenging him again.

Spirits lifted at the promise of a good beating, Noiz decided to pass on the second drink and reply to the text.

'One hour, back gate of the junkyard, I want twenty-dollar-bills'

… was what he was about to send, but he looked up when he sensed someone's presence. His thumb hovered over the send button as he stared at an angry-looking Aoba in front of him.

He was so very close to smirking, thinking he'd won, thinking Aoba had finally realized his haughty 'sense of justice' would get him nowhere in this world, but...

"Why were you at Companion Stop yesterday?" Aoba demanded.

Any reminisce of a smirk vanished and a slow embarrassment crept in.

"... what," was all Noiz managed, taken aback. He tried his hardest not to show the confusion on his face.

The answer only made Aoba's eye twitch.

"I know it was you. Coming to the club and watching me is fine, whatever, but stalking me is where I cross the line!" Aoba hissed.

Noiz frowned.

Stalking?

"I'm not stalking you," Noiz responded simply.

"Restraining orders are things that exist, you know," Aoba continued, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I've never had to get one and I don't want to have to in the near future."

There was a growing tension in Noiz's shoulders. Who was this guy to come over here declaring him a stalker?

"Look. I don't know what got your panties in a bunch," Noiz drawled, enjoying the flash of anger that flew across Aoba's eyes, "But after I bluntly walked up to you and told you to come home with me, do you really think I'd be the kind of person who would stay in the shadows and hide."

Noiz watched those amber eyes stare him down, as if looking for answers.

"I know it was you," Aoba finally replied, though his voice was weaker than it had been. Noiz sighed.

"So what if it was? What does that have to do with you?" Noiz pushed. "I talked to you a single time, and you turned me down. I left you alone, though the offer still stands. In fact, you're the one approaching me this time. Is this some kind of ruse and you're actually regretting saying no?"

"No!" Aoba retorted immediately, slumping his shoulders. "Just... ugh... I don't want to see you around some corner when I'm walking the streets, alright?"

"Believe me, I wouldn't waste my time creeping around corners. If I want something, I go get it," Noiz said in a tone suggesting the end of the issue. He enjoyed the way Aoba switched his weight from one hip to the other and hastily broke eye contact. Clearly the man was doubting his conviction. He grinned. "You really are interesting."

Aoba grit his teeth and was tempted to throw his hands up in the air.

"All the more reason to stalk me, right?!" Aoba accused before quickly walking away. Noiz watched his back with a mix of feelings rising in his chest.

How did Aoba even know he was at that pet store yesterday? He wanted so badly to deny that he'd been there, but for Aoba to mention the exact name of the pet shop... he really hoped Aoba hadn't seen him petting the bunny. Way to ruin an image.

But if Aoba had seen the whole scene with the animals, surely he wouldn't have pegged Noiz a stalker?

Huffy little shit, going around wrongfully accusing people of being stalkers.

With a sigh, Noiz finally pressed the send button on his phone and made his way out of the club.

* * *

With his body sluggish from the exertion of dancing all night, Aoba quietly unlocked and opened the front door to his house. It was already two in the morning and he didn't want to disturb anyone. Which was why he was surprised upon seeing a light on in the kitchen.

"Welcome home, Aoba," Sei greeted him. He was comfortably sitting with his knees pressed against the edge of the dining room table, and a magazine in his lap.

"Why are you still up? How'd it go with Granny today?" Aoba asked, putting his bag on the table and sitting opposite of Sei. He immediately crossed his arms on the table and rested his chin on them, glad for a surface to lounge on. He resisted a yawn.

"We won't get any results for up to two weeks, and Granny complained about everything she possibly could before we left the hospital," Sei said with a grin that made Aoba smile back. "I don't have work tomorrow, so I just stayed up."

"Uuugh, I want a warm bath but I feel like I'd fall asleep within seconds," Aoba pouted. Sei closed his magazine and tossed it onto the table.

"Rough night?" Sei asked with sympathy.

"It's exhausting sometimes. We had three drunkards puke on the dance floor tonight. Three!" Aoba said, holding up three fingers for emphasis. Sei chuckled.

"I had quite a commotion at the pet shop earlier this week, too. I never went into detail about what happened with the kids before Koujaku bought Beni, did I? How is Beni?"

"Koujaku loves 'im," Aoba replied fondly. "And from what I hear, he's a really smart bird."

"I'm glad," Sei said. "Maybe the whole thing was meant to be, since Beni got to choose Koujaku because he was set free."

"What did the kids do, just start letting the animals loose?"

"Yep. They even planned everything out... Kio distracted me with a magic trick while the other two opened cages," Sei explained with a small frown. Aoba shook his head and chuckled. "Mio almost got hurt when a pup ran right into her path, but then a knight-in-shining-armor appeared!"

"Haha, what?" Aoba asked.

"A guy walked in the store and grabbed her before she could fall. He helped me return all the animals too," Sei said, before smirking. "Mio's been asking about him every time she comes in the store, wanting to know where he is."

"Pff, I hope this 'knight-in-shining-armor' is ready for the devil that is Mio," Aoba teased. Sei grabbed hold of the magazine and threw it at him. Aoba didn't even move to dodge, squeezing his eyes shut as the book fell open against his head.

"Don't call her a devil. That's rude," Sei said with a grin. "And who knows. Mio may have found her match. This guy wasn't your typical 'knight-in-shining-armor' material."

"Haaah? Please don't tell me she has googly-eyes for some old geezer."

"No, he was young. Just... kinda rough-looking, I guess? Tons of piercings," Sei explained. Aoba dropped his head to the side to rest on his arm. The magazine dropped onto the table.

He quickly lifted his head and looked at Sei.

"Wait, piercings?" Aoba asked, a sense of something akin to dread settle in his stomach. "Short blond hair, green eyes?"

"... yeah, I believe so," Sei said, looking curious. "Do you know him?"

Ah.

Aoba laid his head down again.

"... you said that guy helped you when all the animals got loose?"

"Yes, he did," Sei said, raising an eyebrow. Aoba lie still for the next couple heartbeats, before he groaned and ruffled his hair with both hands.

"I'm too tired for this," Aoba whined. Sei was brimming with questions, but swallowed them for another day.

"Go to sleep already. Have a long, hot bath in the morning," Sei suggested. Aoba nodded and quickly made his leave.

* * *

He wasn't here.

Aoba stared at the end of the bar, where Mr. One Thousand usually sat. It was taken by some girl chatting up the guy next to her.

He wanted to kick himself.

Why did he have to go accuse the guy of being a stalker right before finding out the truth? Talk about a guilt trip. He had no idea why he'd acted so rashly... maybe he'd been hanging around Koujaku too much. With Koujaku's disapproval, the fact the guy acted like selling his body wasn't a big deal, and the constant staring while he danced, Aoba guessed he'd just jumped the gun in labeling Mr. One Thousand a criminal. To add to that wound, the blond was not only not a stalker, but he'd also helped his brother out!

No wonder the guy seemed pissed after the accusation.

Ugh, he felt so guilty.

He just needed the guy to show up, now, so he could apologize!

"Aoba, try this," Koujaku said, breaking Aoba out of his thoughts. He looked down to see a drink being handed to him.

"What is it?" Aoba asked, taking the glass and examining it. There was some kind of light purple liquid inside.

"It's a berry mix I thought up. I think you'll like it," Koujaku explained.

"Just a sip," Aoba reasoned. He had an embarrassingly low alcohol tolerance that was found out the hard way. He took a sip and was surprised at the blast of flavor on his tongue. "Wow, it doesn't even taste like there is any alcohol."

"Hides it well, right? Though there really isn't much anyway," Koujaku said, grinning as he took the glass back and took a drink of his own, one much bigger than Aoba's. "I'm gonna put this on the drink menu starting Monday."

"I'm sure it'll do well," Aoba said, glancing back toward the end of the bar. That woman was no longer there, but the stool was empty.

"... Aoba," Koujaku said. Aoba turned back toward him, noticing the hesitant expression. "Are you okay? You've been a bit spacey tonight."

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I took a bath before work. Maybe it's making me a little tired," Aoba reasoned. Koujaku's expression didn't falter.

"It's not because of Mizuki's text?" Koujaku asked. Aoba momentarily froze, but then let out a short laugh.

"Well, I can't say I'm not surprised by the news, but," Aoba said, reaching up to fiddle with his hair. "It'll be nice to see him again."

Aoba hoped he looked convincing enough. Truthfully, he wasn't very sure about seeing Mizuki face to face again after two years. What face do you make when facing someone who is both a friend of sixteen years and a boyfriend of a year when he's now your ex?

"Just tell me if you want me to drag him off and entertain him while he's here," Koujaku said, puffing out his chest and beating a fist on it. "I'll be sure to keep him busy if you don't want to see him."

"Pff, that'll just make it even more awkward," Aoba chuckled. "I'm really fine with it."

"... I'll believe you then," Koujaku said, looking a tad awkward for a moment before settling on patting Aoba on the shoulder and going back to his work. Aoba sent a warm smile his way. He knew Koujaku was worried, and he appreciated the sentiment.

"Ah! Aoba! I'm sorry to bother you, but could you go grab a jar of cherries from the back, please?" Clear asked. He looked desperate with a disheveled appearance and apprehensive expression. Saturday nights were always their most busy nights.

"No problem!" Aoba said, sprinting to the back pantry for said cherries. When he returned, Clear thanked him about five times before he even took the jar.

"Oh, I meant to ask," Clear said while making a drink. "Is your friend alright?"

Aoba blinked.

"Friend?" Aoba asked.

"Ah, well, I may be presuming too much. I've just seen you two talk is all. Noiz, at the end of the bar," Clear continued. Aoba's eyebrows raised. Noiz. Was that his name? Seeing Aoba's expression, Clear realized Aoba had no idea what he was talking about. "I saw him on the news today. He was involved in some street fight and was hospitalized."

Aoba looked surprised.

"How'd he get hurt?" He asked. Clear looked apologetic.

"They didn't say much else," Clear said. Aoba nodded, taking the information in. He hoped Mr. One Thou- Noiz... wasn't too hurt.

A street fight?

Really, what was with that guy?

"Thanks for letting me know," Aoba said with a troubled smile. He hoped nothing too bad happened to the guy, and for his own conscious, hoped the guy would make it back to Glitter so he could apologize.

Only, it looked like his chance to apologize came sooner than he figured.

"I need you to go pick up a prescription for me," Tae had said the next day. With the closest pharmacy located right across the street from the largest hospital in the city, Aoba found himself in a dilemma.

With the bag of pills clenched in his hand, he stood awkwardly outside of the pharmacy's front door, looking up at the hospital building.

He'd watched the news story that he'd missed the night before online; the broadcast that covered the street fight gave Noiz's full name, so all he had to do was slip in the hospital and ask what room he was staying in. Was that too much? It's not like they had much of a relationship, but Aoba couldn't deny he was a little worried about the guy. What did he get hospitalized for?

Aoba blamed it on the guilt. Noiz was totally right... he'd left Aoba alone since that first night. Aoba had no right to make the accusations that he had.

Sighing, he finally forced his feet to move, looking both ways before jogging across the street. Cool air greeted him as he stepped into the hospital and signed his name at the check-in counter. The lady behind the counter didn't even look up from her computer as she greeted him. When he asked for Noiz's room number, however, her typing stopped and she looked up sharply.

"Why are you going to see him?" She asked suspiciously. Aoba was taken aback. Why did he feel like this was a bad idea all of a sudden?

"Um..." Aoba started, searching for the right words. "I'm just a... friend. I wanted to check on him..?"

The lady stared him down, to the point Aoba began to sweat. Holy shit, who was Noiz, some mafia boss's kid or something!?

"... I've never heard of you. Then again, he wouldn't say if he had a friend anyway," the woman sighed, looking irritated. "He's on the tenth floor, room 1001. Good luck."

She went right back to her computer.

"Th.. thanks," Aoba said, venturing to find an elevator, feeling more and more awkward every step of the way. Was this building even ten stories high?

He was still very tempted to forget the whole thing, even after he hit the tenth floor button in the elevator. It took an irritatingly long time to get to said floor, with people coming in and out.

Room 1001 was at the very end of the hallway.

Aoba made his way over, stopping before the door. It was a standard white door with one of those glass windows you couldn't see through, surrounded by light green trim. A small plate with the number '1001' hung beside it.

He was well aware he was trying to pass some time and build up his courage by sweeping his eyes over the decor a good four times.

Finally, he took another step forward, arm posed to knock on the door.

"What are you doing?"

He jumped at the sudden voice behind him.

The sudden, _familiar_ voice.

Aoba turned to confirm his suspicion. Noiz stood there in a light green hospital gown and jeans, arms crossed and eyebrows gently furrowed. There was a blossoming bruise on the left side of his chin, but other than that, Aoba detected nothing out of the ordinary.

"Who's the stalker now?" Noiz continued before Aoba could find the words to say.

"...! I'm not stalking you!" Aoba exclaimed.

"This sounds awfully familiar," Noiz replied, the corners of his lips perking upward and bringing more mortification to his company.

"Prescription!" Aoba said, holding up the bag of pills for emphasis. "I came here to get a prescription for my grandma!"

"A prescription from my hospital room, right," Noiz pushed smugly. Aoba's eyebrow twitched. Oh, how he was regretting this. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before looking up at Noiz

"Look. I heard from Sei that you helped out at the pet shop when all the animals were set loose," Aoba explained, curiously watching as Noiz's smirk slipped. "... why did you lie?"

Noiz looked around as if they actually might have an audience in the barren hallways before walking around Aoba to get to the door.

"If you want to keep talking, come inside," Noiz ordered. Aoba barely had the chance to process the words before Noiz was out of the hallway, the room door left open.

Aoba hesitated a few more seconds before following him inside.

* * *

_Thank you for reading!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Somewhere In Between  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing: ** Noiz/Aoba  
**WARNING: THIS STORY DEPICTS MALE/MALE RELATIONSHIPS.**

**XX**

**XX**

**ATTENTION**

**XX**

**XX**

**Sagta, username 'junjoupureheart' on Tumblr, will be illustrating this fic! To see her wonderful drawings, please find this story on Archive Of Our Own under the author 'realmspinner'. Thanks!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

The room was bare.

That was the first thing Aoba noticed as he crossed the threshold. It wasn't like he came to hospitals often; the only times he could remember walking in a hospital room like this was when Granny had a stroke a couple years back and when Sei had his appendix taken out when he was still in high school. Both of those times, however, the room had been given some life due to flowers and balloons sent from family and friends.

The only thing that sat on Noiz's bedside table was his cell phone and a folded shirt.

The blond pushed himself on the bed, resting his back against the propped pillows on the headboard. There was a chair in the corner of the room, but Aoba did not move to sit. He wasn't sure how long he would be here, and figured there was no reason to be very long anyway.

"So what do you want," Noiz said once he was settled, looking expectant. Aoba was momentarily taken aback by the attention suddenly settling on himself. Wasn't he the one who last asked a question?

"Well I want to know why you didn't just tell me the real reason you were at the pet shop in the first place," Aoba replied. His fingers fiddled with the prescription bag for lack of anything else to do, but when the crunching of the paper echoed through the room, he stopped.

"There was no reason," Noiz said with a shrug. "Definitely not to stalk you."

Aoba ducked his head at that, looking sheepish.

"I know. I felt guilty when I heard about what really happened... so, I came here to say sorry. For that," Aoba stumbled. Noiz raised a brow.

"And?" Noiz asked.

"... and what?"

"What else did you come here for," Noiz pushed. Aoba furrowed his brow.

"Nothing...? Well," Aoba said, expression changing as a thought crossed his mind. "I guess I wanted to see if you were alright too."

He certainly looked alright, though Aoba's line of sight kept dropping to the bruise on his jaw. It was also a convenient escape from those piercing green eyes.

Really, it was like the guy was waiting for him to do something. What, Aoba had no idea, but it was a bit unsettling.

"... hm," Noiz finally spoke in acknowledgment, though he might as well have stayed silent for all the good that response did for Aoba.

Thankfully, he didn't have to come up with a quick response, for the door opened. A nurse walked inside, stopping her stride when she noticed Aoba's presence.

"Oh, hello! Don't mind me, I just have to check on this guy's stitches and give him some pain killers," the nurse explained with a friendly smile as she walked to Noiz's side. Noiz looked unhappy at being pulled away from his pillows, but obediently sat forward and let the nurse untie the back of his shirt. Aoba couldn't help but move over just a bit to look at the damage.

There was a long, stitched-up wound running along his shoulder blade. Aoba cringed. Surely it looked a lot better now than what it had looked like before those stitches were in place.

"... can I ask what happened?" Aoba found himself asking. As the nurse tied his shirt back up, apparently pleased with how the stitches looked, Noiz looked back up at him.

"You just did," Noiz said. Aoba was far from amused by the childish reply. There was a rattle, the sound of pills in a bottle, and Noiz looked at his nurse again. "I don't need those."

The nurse wore an expression that proved she'd heard that before.

"I understand you have a weirdly high pain tolerance, but I want them available to you just in case," the nurse explained, pouring two small pills onto the table by his cell phone and screwing the lid back on the bottle as she crossed the room. After filling a small plastic cup with water from the tap, she set it down by the pills. "Call me if you need me."

The nurse started for the door and Aoba took his chance.

"I should go too," Aoba said, stepping back toward the door. He'd said what he wanted to, and he didn't feel very welcomed here anyway.

"How did you know I was here?" Noiz suddenly asked. The nurse, who had intentions of holding the door open for Aoba, decided to go ahead and leave them when Aoba stopped.

Aoba was almost... almost tempted to say something like 'how do you think?', but figured he'd spare himself from dropping to the maturity level of the guy in the hospital bed.

"You were on the news. The story said something about a street fight," Aoba replied.

"Ever been in one?" Noiz asked. Aoba snorted.

"Can't say I have."

"Rules say no weapons. Some asshole decided to bring a crowbar," Noiz explained, drawing a small circle with the shoulder on the side his wound was on.

"I don't really think you should be participating in those things," Aoba said carefully. He didn't want to lecture some guy he hardly knew, but the rational side of his brain couldn't help its input. "I don't even understand why anyone would want to."

"Money. Fame. Power. It's not hard to understand," Noiz said in a tone that bordered mocking. Aoba felt his defenses go up again, saw that damn expectant look in those eyes again...

"In any case," Aoba said, trying to stop his eye from twitching, "I should get going."

Surely Granny would be wondering why it was taking him so long to come back home with a prescription.

"Oi," Noiz said, and Aoba stopped once again. "As far as you know, I was never at that pet shop."

"... haah?" Aoba asked, raising an eyebrow. Noiz wasn't even looking at him anymore, rather staring out of the window.

"You're sorry, aren't you? Then you won't mention the incident to anyone."

Aoba blinked. This guy sure did know how to confuse a person. He proved himself not to be a stalker, and yet he was still touchy about being seen that day?

"... sorry to burst your bubble, but you have an admirer who I'm sure has already been bragging about the guy that saved her at the pet shop," Aoba replied. Noiz quickly looked him in the eyes.

"What?" Noiz asked, and Aoba could visually see the uneasiness on his stiffened shoulders. Aoba's curiosity grew.

"Mio. She's a little girl you apparently helped that day," Aoba explained, pleased when he saw recognition in Noiz's eyes. Aoba offered a small smile. "Seems she has a little crush on you."

Noiz took a moment to digest the information before a tiny frown formed on his lips.

"... troublesome," Noiz muttered so softly Aoba almost didn't catch it. "You sure do know a lot. I'm almost convinced you bugged me."

The smile on Aoba's face was washed away with irritation.

"Why on earth would I want to bug you?" Aoba asked.

"You tell me."

"You are absolutely ridiculous. Sei is my brother."

"... Sei being the guy who works there?" Noiz asked.

"I was on my way there with Kouajku when I saw you round a corner. You must have just left."

"... so you accused me of being a stalker from merely seeing me walking down the street."

Aoba's cheeks flushed.

"Look, I already said sorry! You didn't exactly leave the best first impression," Aoba grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Why is that?"

Aoba's eye really did twitch then.

"... I'm not even answering that," Aoba drawled, pointedly taking the last few steps separating him and the door. "I hope you get out of here soon."

"... sure," Noiz said, disinterested as he stared out the window again. Aoba stared at him for a few seconds before leaving the room.

* * *

Noiz had left the hospital the next morning. It really wasn't that bad of a wound, but it made his shoulder feel stiff and strange when he stretched. Because of the crowbar incident, he itched to shut himself up in his exercise room and punch the stuffing out of his punching bag to release this pent-up energy he'd had for days. He'd hardly thrown two punches before that asshole ruined the fight.

However, the doctor had warned him to take it easy with the stitches in. Frustrated, he sent a kick flying into the air, slamming into the punching bag. The bag swung up close to the ceiling and recklessly bounced and swayed back and forth by the force.

A glance at the clock proved it to be eight at night.

Aoba would definitely be working by now.

With that thought in mind, he walked up to his room to change. Aoba's appearance at the hospital yesterday was definitely a surprise. He expected Aoba to approach him, but not hunt him down. In fact, after being called a stalker, Noiz was ready to cut off their interaction completely. Aoba was interesting, but not interesting enough to get restraining orders, police, or things of that bothersome nature involved.

Speaking of bothersome things...

Noiz seriously regretted passing by that pet shop that day, now that it led to all this. A guy like him, hanging around cute little animals?

Mortifying.

If any gang members or Junkyard Boys got wind of something like that, he'd be a laughing stock. Which was far from what he wanted to be if he wanted to be taken seriously. The street fights were his primary escape from every-day life; he didn't want to lose that.

Cookie was damn cute, though.

It was fairly warm outside, and the walk to Glitter was long but peaceful. Noiz surmised it was probably still too early for the drunks to be running around. Inside the club, however, everything was lively and loud. Noiz made his way to his normal seat at the end of the bar, eyes scanning the place for Aoba.

Sure enough, he was on one of the platforms, dancing. The song was upbeat and Aoba's hair whisked around in the air as he used the pole to his advantage. He wasn't an amazing pole dancer, not like those dancers with incredible upper body strength to hold themselves up for long periods of time, but swinging around and bending and twisting against the pole was something worth watching.

Especially those swaying hips.

He was perfectly content with watching those, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over said shoulder. Koujaku was leaning against the bar with a glare directed at him.

"I don't want you coming in here anymore," Koujaku said, taking his hand off Noiz's shoulder. Noiz turned in his stool so he could face him.

"Your point?" Noiz asked. Koujaku grinned, but it was anything but friendly.

"My point is, I still don't think you're twenty-one, and now I know you like to fight. Three strikes and you're out," Koujaku replied.

"That was only two. Do you know how to count?" Noiz asked, purposefully fueling the flames.

"The third one is how you stare at Aoba," Koujaku growled.

"Oh? Are you jealous?" Noiz asked with a cruel smirk.

"Get out, or I'll have Mink throw you out," Koujaku threatened, leaning closer as if to intimidate the blond. Noiz glared at him.

"You have no basis to throw me out," Noiz said, and Koujaku drew back, waving Mink over.

"I run the bar tonight. I can do what I want," Koujaku replied triumphantly. Noiz stiffened when another hand fell on his shoulder, knowing it was the bouncer's. "And if you wanna fight back, we'll let the police deal with you."

"... heh. Abusing authority. Figures," Noiz scoffed, shaking Mink's hand off and standing from his stool. He glanced at Aoba, but the man still wasn't looking his way. Irritated, Noiz flashed his middle finger at the bar before leaving the club.

* * *

"You did what?!" Aoba exclaimed.

Nine-thirty had finally come around and Aoba got a break from dancing. Upon getting a drink from Koujaku, however, he was informed of what happened to Noiz earlier.

"I bet he's not even eighteen. That little shit was going to bring nothing but trouble; I could feel it," Koujaku continued, taking his apron off and taking a seat on a stack of crates. They were outside behind the club, where Koujaku would often take his cigarette breaks. Aoba watched him light one up, momentarily at a loss for words.

"... he isn't that bad," Aoba said, though he was unsure of his own words. Koujaku raised an eyebrow.

"You act like you know him," Koujaku said.

"… kind of," Aoba said, fiddling with the collar around his neck. "I know he helped out my brother."

'And that he's quite the brat,' Aoba added in his head.

"Sei knows him?" Koujaku asked, disbelief crossing his features. "Who on earth is Sei hanging out with these days?"

"It's not like that," Aoba said quickly. He spent the next few minutes telling Koujaku everything about the pet shop, and how he visited Noiz in the hospital yesterday. Koujaku listened silently, puffing at his cigarette and courteously blowing the smoke away from where Aoba leaned against a wall.

Aoba still did not mention the thousand dollar offer.

"... even with all that. The reasons I kicked him out are still valid," Koujaku mulled, dropping the cigarette butt and stepping on it. "To be honest, he just pisses me off."

"Ha, I understand that," Aoba said with a grin. Koujaku stood and looked him in the eye.

"What do you want me to do?" Koujaku asked. Aoba shrugged.

"It's your decision, not mine."

"As long as you aren't... mad at me for kicking him out."

"It's not like I know the guy that well," Aoba said, shaking his head. Koujaku looked pleased with that answer and nodded, opening the door and holding it for Aoba. Aoba walked back in the club with Noiz still on his mind. Now that he was kicked out of the one place they both frequented, Aoba wondered if he'd ever see the guy again.

He shook the thought off and went to talk to Clear.

It wouldn't matter anyway.

* * *

Aoba hummed along to the music coming from his headphones as he walked down the street, an untouched iced coffee in one hand and a half-eaten cinnamon roll in the other. It was around five-thirty, thirty minutes until Sei's shift was over, and Aoba figured he'd surprise his twin by stopping by with his favorite drink.

He skillfully opened the shop door with two fingers, and was greeted by the bell chiming. Sei was behind the cash register, busying himself with paper and a pencil. Aoba took an educated guess and figured whatever he was going had nothing to do with work.

"Slacking off again?" Aoba joked as he crossed the shop. Sei looked up, surprised only for a moment, before smiling.

"Like always," Sei answered wryly. His gaze dropped to the iced coffee in Aoba's hand and he leaned over the counter. "Please tell me that's for me?"

Aoba handed over the drink in consent, and Sei made a noise that definitely meant thanks before bringing the straw between his lips. On the counter was a notebook with doodles all over the page. Maybe 'doodles' wasn't the right word, however, considering Sei had always been an amazing artist. Aoba was lucky if someone came close to identifying any object he attempted to draw.

Aoba took the last bite of his cinnamon roll and leaned over the counter to chuck it in the garbage can.

"I am forever thankful to Mink for reccing those cinnamon rolls," Aoba said, words slightly muffled by the food in his mouth before he swallowed. He held his hand out and wiggled his fingers. "Give me a drink."

Sei clutched the coffee to his chest protectively.

"No," Sei argued.

"I went out of my way to buy it. The least you can let me do is take a swig," Aoba whined. Sei raised an eyebrow.

"Are you telling me you didn't take a single drink on your way here?"

Aoba avoided Sei's gaze and Sei laughed before handing over the drink. The coffee was creamy and cold in Aoba's mouth.

"Are you gonna stick around until we close up?" Sei asked, taking the drink back when Aoba was done.

"That was the plan. I go into tonight at eight," Aoba said, leaning against the counter. He suddenly looked frightened. "Oh damn, did I tell you about the next theme night yet?"

Sei's eyes scrunched up in mirth.

"Worse than the jungle theme?" Sei said, highly amused at the memory of a blushing Aoba ranting about having to wear 'nothing but a fig leaf'. In reality, it was skin-colored shorts with a fig leaf, but the concept was embarrassing enough for Aoba.

"... maybe? I don't know, that one was pretty bad," Aoba confessed. "But this time Koujaku said something about a western theme and cowboys-"

The cell in Aoba's pocket started ringing just as Sei started laughing.

"Please tell me you have to wear chaps!" Sei chuckled. Aoba shot him a glare as he removed the cell phone from his pocket. He paused upon seeing who the caller was.

"Uh... I'm gonna step out for this," Aoba said, gesturing to the phone before quickly heading for the front door. He pressed the answer button and held it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Yo, Aoba," Mizuki answered, and a smile immediately tugged at Aoba's lips as he leaned against the large window on the outside of the building.

"What's up? Koujaku got back to you about your visit here, right?" Aoba asked, casually watching cars go by. It was still a little weird talking to Mizuki, but Aoba couldn't deny it was nice to hear his voice. Actually seeing him was another thing, but Aoba would cross that bridge when it came.

"That's actually what I called about," Mizuki replied. He sounded a bit upset. "Boss called me earlier today and I suddenly have a project due next weekend. A big project. That he should have given me more notice about."

Aoba winced.

"Ouch," Aoba answered sympathetically. Mizuki worked as a graphic designer in a city about a six hour's drive away. The job offer was responsible for Mizuki's leaving in the first place, but it sounded like something Mizuki was proud of and loved to do, even if he complained about short-notices. Aoba was pretty sure Sei's love for drawing was partially Mizuki's influence. "But still doable, right?"

"If it's me," Mizuki boasted, and Aoba chuckled. "But this means it'll probably be a while before I can get down there. I have to wait and see what's coming up after this project."

Aoba felt a tad guilty for being relieved at the postponement.

"You can take your time. It's not like we're going anywhere," Aoba answered.

"I don't know... sure you aren't getting into trouble without me around?" Mizuki jested.

"Ha, I think we're okay. It's obvious we miss you, though," Aoba said lightheartedly. He looked across the street, where a small nail salon sat next to a deli, and froze. Walking in front of the two businesses was Noiz. Aoba blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"I'm happy to hear that. You know, they don't have anything like Pera's Pizza out here," Mizuki continued, speaking of a local pizza joint they frequented when he was still in town. Aoba registered the words, but fidgeted in place.

"... Noiz!" Aoba found himself yelling. He was second-guessing himself the moment it came out of his mouth, but the damage was done.

"What?" Mizuki asked on the line, as Noiz stopped his walk and turned to look for the voice who called him. Aoba couldn't quite make out the expression the blond had, but knew when he'd seen him.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Mizuki. Something came up; can I talk to you later?" Aoba asked, never taking his eyes off Noiz, who was currently waiting for a car to pass so he could cross the street.

Well, at least he wasn't ignored. That was good.

"Oh. Yeah, of course. Everything okay?" Mizuki asked, and Aoba wanted to kick himself at hearing the worried tone.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I hope nothing comes up after this project; keep Koujaku and me updated, alright?"

"Definitely. Talk to you later, Aoba."

Aoba ended the call just as Noiz stepped up on the curb in front of him.

* * *

_Thanks so much for the reviews so far! I'm glad to see some of my familiar readers back even under a different fandom! VocalAurora, no, he doesn't have the inability to feel pain like in the visual novel, however he has a high pain tolerance and doesn't mind pain._


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **Somewhere In Between  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing: ** Noiz/Aoba  
**WARNING: THIS STORY DEPICTS MALE/MALE RELATIONSHIPS.**

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**ATTENTION**

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**Sagta, username 'junjoupureheart' on Tumblr, will be illustrating this fic! To see her wonderful drawings, please find this story on Archive Of Our Own under the author 'realmspinner'. Thanks!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 05**

Noiz was surprised. When he'd heard his name, he immediately thought it meant trouble, like some guy he'd whooped in the past was going to try and start up trouble. It wasn't an uncommon thing.

Aoba was really the last thing he expected.

And in front of that damn pet shop, none-the-less.

Then again, Aoba was the least thing he expected outside of his hospital room too.

This was getting ridiculous. Aoba'd been so ready to turn him down, to turn him into a villain, yet somehow the man kept nudging his foot into the closing door that was Noiz's life. Noiz was now firmly convinced that Aoba had to be playing the innocent card, casually keeping Noiz at a short distance just in case his goody-two-shoes soul took a sharp turn into the realm of common sense.

He halted in front of Aoba, who was slipping his cell phone into his pocket.

"... hey," Aoba greeted. He looked unsure of himself.

"Hey," Noiz echoed, slipping his thumbs into his jean loops and slouching his shoulders. He felt no need to come up with conversation, since Aoba was the one who called him over in the first place. Obviously the blue-haired man had something to say.

Maybe something about changing his mind.

Noiz found himself hopeful.

"I heard Koujaku kicked you out?" Aoba began, looking somewhat sympathetic. Noiz just shrugged, and apparently Aoba didn't like the wordless response, because a sigh left his lips. "Before I even go any further, are you really twenty-one?"

Noiz nearly rolled his eyes.

"That's what my driver's license says," Noiz answered shortly.

"That's not what I asked you," Aoba countered.

"Why are you so worried about my age?" Noiz asked, cocking his head to the side and offering a small smirk. "I promise you I'm legal."

Noiz had to admit, the pink shade on Aoba's cheeks was cute as fuck. He didn't even know how old Aoba was, surely old enough to work at Glitter... the fact a grown man, especially someone who wore revealing outfits and danced in front of others, still got so flustered over the topic of sex should have been foolish, but Noiz would have to make an exception for this guy.

"Ha. Ha. We've already established you're a wise-ass," Aoba replied with a glare. "But I thought it was kind of unfair of Koujaku to throw you out based on assumptions. If you even want to come back to Glitter, I could try talking with him."

Noiz furrowed his eyebrows.

There it was again.

That notion of unfairness. That guilty conscience. Did the guy even sleep at night, wondering if his every move was the right choice?

"Why?" Noiz asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are you offering to get me back in?"

"I told you, it was unfair," Aoba said, looking frustrated. "I made assumptions about you, then Koujaku made assumptions about you... it's not right and I guess... well, are you even interested in going back to Glitter or not?"

Noiz stared down at him until Aoba broke his gaze, frowning off into the distance.

"... do you want me there?" Noiz finally asked. Those caramel-colored eyes immediately looked back at him. Aoba opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of the bells ringing overhead informed them the pet shop door had opened. Sei stood there, curiously looking between the two of them.

"Hello again," Sei said, flashing Noiz a smile. "I don't mean to interrupt, but Aoba, I have to lock up now."

Noiz studied Sei. Now that he knew Aoba and Sei were brothers, he could detect the similarities between them.

"It's already four?" Aoba asked, sounding surprised. He turned back to Noiz. "Glitter or no?"

Noiz frowned. Aoba was totally avoiding the question he'd asked.

"He can come in while I clean," Sei suggested.

"I don't think that's necessary," Aoba declined. Noiz's irritation grew.

"I think it is," Noiz said, pleased when Aoba looked scandalized.

"What happened to 'I was never at the pet shop'," Aoba hissed.

"If someone asks, you dragged me in here," Noiz said, walking passed Aoba and in the door Sei was holding open. Aoba twitched and slowly followed, avoiding Sei's stare. Noiz turned around and attempted to lean against the corner of a fish tank, but uncomfortably shifted when the edge of the tank dug into the stitches on the back of his shoulder. Aoba caught the movement.

"How is that?" Aoba asked, gesturing toward the shoulder. He still didn't look a hundred percent happy to have Noiz in the store, even as he brought up conversation.

"Uncomfortable," Noiz answered honestly. "Now answer my question."

"What question?"

"Do you want me to go back to Glitter?" Noiz repeated. Aoba frowned.

"What do you want me to say? Sure, yeah, if you like going there, you should be able to," Aoba said. Sei approached the two again.

"You never told me you knew 'Prince Charming,'" Sei tested, clearly eying Aoba down for more information.

"Prince Charming?" Noiz repeated, confused and vaguely amused. Aoba caught on to that amusement quickly.

"I know what you're thinking, and you need to stop thinking it right now. That nickname stemmed from Mio, the girl I mentioned before," Aoba defended.

"Speaking of before," Sei said, nodding his head at the bunnies, "Cookie is still here."

Noiz looked over and found her immediately.

"Cookie?" Aoba asked.

"The second girl that has been missing him," Sei chortled.

"... nobody has any taste. How is she still here," Noiz mumbled, and Aoba's eyes widened.

"You like rabbits?" Aoba asked, a smile blooming on his face. "Haha, that's really unexpected!"

Noiz threw Aoba a glare that only seemed to amuse him more.

"Want to hold her again?" Sei asked.

"No."

"That's what you said last time and you still held her."

"Go ahead, hold the bunny. I want to see this," Aoba commented. His eyes suddenly widened as a thought came to his mind. "That's it, I'll definitely get you back into Glitter if you buy the bunny."

Aoba had gotten a sale for Sei with Beni; another sale for his brother couldn't hurt!

Noiz raised a brow at Aoba. That was an odd wager; what did Aoba care whether he bought a bunny or not? Though the idea of buying Cookie had been on his mind since he first set foot in the store. He was home a lot anyway; having an animal might make it less boring.

If he could get the rabbit home without run-ins with anyone he knew, it might just be worth it.

Better yet...

"... on one condition," Noiz said, looking at Aoba. Aoba straightened as if he were getting ready for something big. "Only if you come to my house and visit her."

Aoba suddenly looked uncomfortable and Sei's curiosity was boiling over.

"I'm not promising anything," Aoba declined. Sei walked over to the bunnies and carefully lifted Cookie out of the bin.

"Here's 'Prince Charming'," Sei cooed at Cookie while handing her to Noiz. Noiz threw an unamused stare Sei's way, but took hold of Cookie regardless.

"Stop calling me that," Noiz said, letting Cookie rest in the crook of his arm and gently rubbing her ears. "My name is Noiz."

"I see. And Aoba," Sei replied with a grin, "Noiz, here. Is he a friend? Coworker?"

Aoba blinked in surprise, caught off-guard. Noiz watched him silently, still stroking Cookie's fluffy black and white fur. Clearly the man was having trouble with how to identify Noiz.

Sei, however, had no trouble suggesting one last thing when his grin turned mischievous.

"... boyfriend?" Sei continued.

Aoba made a choked noise, and Noiz couldn't help but smirk.

"No!" Aoba exclaimed, loudly in his rush to deny the statement. He lowered his voice to continue. "Sei, come on, really? You know I'd tell you if I had a boyfriend. Stop smiling, damn it, he's not! Yo-"

"Oi, 'boyfriend,'" Noiz interrupted with a sly glint in his eyes. Aoba stiffened. "Do I get the bunny or not?"

Sei hid his smile behind his hand. Aoba took a deep breath and cursed his misfortune.

"Just... get the damn bunny already!" Aoba said in frustration. The sooner Noiz left, the better! "And don't call me that!"

Noiz shrugged and headed over to the cash register. Sei was glad he hadn't counted and stashed the money away yet and hurried over as well, leaving a troubled Aoba to gaze at them in distaste. Sei felt a tiny bit of remorse... but at the same time, it was easy to tell Prince Char- .. Noiz had somewhat of an odd effect on his brother. If nothing else, it was interesting.

"She's yours," Sei declared when the transaction was completed. He grabbed his iced coffee and took a sip as Noiz studied Cookie for a bit and then turned back to Aoba, who was still sulking in the same place.

"So when are you coming over?" Noiz asked.

"I never agreed to that," Aoba replied.

"But you did," Noiz countered, picking up the cage Cookie was in and strolling back over. He held up the cage for emphasis. "I said if I buy the bunny, you had to come visit her."

"Jeez," Aoba groaned, running a hand over his face. He almost felt like laughing. "You're not going to give up, are you?"

"Me?" Noiz asked, raising his eyebrows. "You're the one who called me over. I think you like me."

"I think you need to go back to the hospital. Did they check your head?" Aoba asked. He glanced at Sei, eyes narrowing when his brother was doing nothing but leaning on the counter staring them down. Aoba grabbed Noiz's arm and tugged. "Let's just go to the back. Sei, I'll meet you out there."

"Hmm..?" Sei smiled, the suggestive sound enough to earn him another brotherly glare before the two walked out of sight.

In the back, Noiz and Aoba made their way through a hallway and out a door. The outside air held a slight chill, and clouds had rolled in since Aoba had made his trek down here to surprise Sei with the coffee.

Sensing the new environment, Cookie made a few jumps in her cage, and Noiz carefully held the rocking metal still.

"They did do a thorough examination at the hospital," Noiz began, and Aoba took a couple seconds before remembering his own insult. He snorted.

"I would hope so," Aoba commented. He ran a hand through his bangs, glancing up at the clouds and briefly wondering if it was going to rain before looking back at Noiz. "I'll tell you the truth, I am not comfortable with going to your house. And conditions or not, it's not like I have to follow through."

"Admit it. If you don't follow through with a deal, that guilty conscience of yours will eat you up," Noiz countered. His tone left no room for argument, as if he had Aoba pinned.

Aoba was vaguely insulted by that fact.

"You realize I don't know you at all, right? There are some lines that just can't be crossed if you're a person with a functioning brain," Aoba refuted. Meeting Noiz in public places was fine, but his house...

"Assuming things again? What am I this time, a serial killer?" Noiz asked dryly. Aoba snickered.

"Maybe even a vampire," Aoba admonished, holding up his hands and flicking his fingers up and down. Noiz looked surprised at the joke, and Aoba sighed, putting his hands down. "I'll get Koujaku to let you back into Glitter, alright? You'll have to settle with seeing me there for now."

'Cookie, my ass,' Aoba thought. He knew Noiz was trying to get him alone. It was... maybe a little, tiny bit flattering, if Noiz wasn't so suspicious and hard to read.

"... give me your phone number," Noiz finally said, pulling out his phone. Aoba raised a brow.

"Not even a 'please'?" Aoba mocked, making no move to get out his phone.

"Am I supposed to walk all the way to Glitter at a random time just to find out I'm not allowed in yet?" Noiz asked dubiously.

"... oh," Aoba said. Yeah, that wasn't a good plan. "... fine."

With that, Aoba dug his phone from his pocket and they exchanged phone numbers.

"Call me when the asshole backs off," Noiz said, earning a glare.

"He's just doing his job," Aoba defended.

There was a faint clinking sound and Aoba turned to look at the back door. Noiz glanced over at him while the door swung open, taking the chance to lift his free hand and brush his fingers down the side of Aoba's neck. Aoba jumped, whipping his head around and taking a step back.

"What..!"

Noiz smirked.

"If I turn out to be a vampire, you better keep that neck covered," Noiz commented. He watched those amber eyes dubiously study him before turning on his heel and walking away. He vaguely heard Aoba's brother bid him farewell.

* * *

Koujaku had not been pleased.

Aoba didn't figure he would be. However, after some prodding and a couple 'please's, the bartender had backed down and informed the bouncers that, should Noiz show up, he would be allowed in.

"One mistake, and he's gone," Koujaku had said with the utmost sincerity. Aoba had no problem agreeing with that. One text message to Noiz, because like hell if he was going to call, and the deed was done.

It was a little confusing that Noiz had not responded yet, though.

Standing in a room in the back of the club, Aoba stood in front of a mirror, brushing his blue locks. His regular leather outfit was hugging his legs and arms, and though the outfit was risque in itself, Aoba was very glad to have it on at the moment.

He glanced over to the folded clothing on the chair next to him. The cowboy outfits that Koujaku had brought up before had found their destination yesterday, along with a shipment of alcohol. Aoba had tried the outfit on just minutes before, and though it was about as revealing as his leather outfit, it felt two times more embarrassing. He was not looking forward to the western event night.

Not to mention he thought he looked weird in a cowboy hat.

He glanced at the clock.

It was around 9:15pm. He'd already done an hour of dancing from eight to nine, and was set to go on again at ten. He hoped Koujaku and Clear weren't too busy so they could sit and chat with him for the rest of his break.

With that thought in mind, he left the room and walked to the bar. What had been muffled music inside the back room was now loud in his ears, and he squinted into the dim lighting, waiting for his eyes to adjust. He was only slightly surprised when his eyes landed on a familiar blond sitting at his usual seat at the end of the bar. He was not surprised at all to see Koujaku serving drinks on the opposite side.

Now came the big question.

'Do I say hi to Noiz or not?' Aoba thought, surveying the situation. The seat next to Noiz was taken, so he couldn't just casually sit there... he'd have to deliberately go stand on the other side to make conversation.

Aoba then determined that he'd been the one to approach Noiz the last couple times they met, and he wasn't going to do it again.

Instead, he found a free seat and sat, waving at Koujaku and purposefully not looking Noiz's way.

It didn't take Koujaku long to make his way over.

"Did you try it on?" Koujaku asked, leaning on the bar. Aoba made a face.

"Yes. Can we just not do the whole western theme?" Aoba attempted, and Koujaku laughed.

"After all the money we spent on the outfits and decorations? I don't think so," Koujaku said, and Aoba whined.

"Is roleplay that sexy?" Aoba muttered.

"I'm sure it's not everyone's thing but it seems to be pretty popular."

"But _cowboys_?"

"Why not?"

Aoba raised a brow.

"Oho, are you looking forward to this event?" Aoba teased, laughing at the blush that ran across Koujaku's face.

"I'm just _saying_," Koujaku stressed, still looking embarrassed, "a lot of people seem hyped about a western theme."

"It's true!" Clear suddenly interjected, coming to a stop right beside Koujaku with a big smile on his face. "Aoba, how did the outfit look? Oooh, Koujaku, is it possible to get a mechanical bull?"

Koujaku and Aoba looked at each other, grinning at the suggestion and Clear's bubbly personality in general.

"I'm afraid that's a little out of our budget," Koujaku said. Clear looked crestfallen for a mere second before his smile came back full force.

"The dancers can ride each other then!" Clear exclaimed. Koujaku choked on his own spit and Aoba's mouth fell open, a blush running across his cheeks and up to his ears. Clear's voice was loud, and Aoba could feel people at the bar staring at the commotion. He felt like sinking into the seat. He then remembered the person at the end of the bar and slowly turned to look his way.

Noiz was looking right at him.

Aoba quickly averted his gaze and looked back at Clear.

"I think dancing will be good enough, Clear..." Aoba said with a small laugh. Clear blinked, looking from Aoba to Koujaku.

"Did I say something weird?" Clear asked, and Koujaku just grinned, patting Clear on the back.

"No, I guess not. We're the ones with our minds in the gutter," Koujaku jested.

"If your nose starts bleeding, I'm leaving," Aoba announced, shooting a pointed look Koujaku's way.

"You little-" Koujaku growled playfully, reaching over to ruffle Aoba's hair.

"Hey, hey!" Aoba exclaimed, leaning back in his seat to get away from the attack. Clear laughed as Aoba tried to smooth his hair back down.

"Sorry to interrupt, but..." Aoba paused and turned his head to see Noiz suddenly slipping into the seat next to him. When had that seat even been evacuated? He had the strangest urge to cover the back of his neck, remembering the way Noiz's fingers had brushed against his skin before. "I've been waiting for a refill."

The tone was completely sarcastic. Aoba knew immediately that Noiz was trying to dig in the fact the bartenders were chatting instead of doing their job.

Koujaku appeared to catch on to that too.

"You didn't even wave us down," Koujaku bit back, standing up straight. Clear, ever the nice guy, simply smiled.

"Same thing or something different, sir?" Clear asked.

"Same," Noiz responded, sliding the glass closer to Clear. Clear grabbed it and walked off to make another drink.

"... I see you made it back," Aoba said. Now that Noiz was sitting next to him, it would be rude not to say anything.

"'In the clear'? That's all I get?" Noiz asked with a straight face, referring to the text message Aoba had sent. True to his word, that's all the message contained. 'In the clear.' Just to let Noiz know he could come back. "Not cute at all."

Aoba raised an eyebrow.

"And what were you expecting?" Aoba asked.

"At least some 'x's and 'o's after it. You're a terrible boyfriend," Noiz said. It wasn't until Aoba was laughing and shaking his head that the corners of Noiz's lips twitched upward.

Aoba couldn't believe this guy didn't know when to quit.

Unfortunately, Koujaku was still within hearing distance, and he was most certainly not laughing.

"Boyfriend?" Koujaku asked with a twitching eyebrow. Noiz shifted his gaze to the black-haired bartender.

"You didn't hear? I got Sei's approval and everything," Noiz commented. It only seemed to make Koujaku angrier.

Aoba elbowed Noiz in his arm.

"He's not my boyfriend," Aoba defended. Clear came back at that moment, setting a new drink in front of Noiz. "He just doesn't understand the concept of giving up."

"You are what I don't understand," Noiz replied, eyes back on Aoba.

"Yeah, well same for you, buddy," Aoba said.

"Twenty-one Questions is good for situations like this!" Clear chimed in, and everyone looked at him.

"What?" Aoba asked.

"Twenty-one Questions! It's a good game to play to get to know and understand one another," Clear explained. "It'll pass the time; we should all play! I want to know more about Noiz too!"

Koujaku cleared his throat.

"Clea-"

"I'll start!" Clear said as if he'd never been interrupted. "Noiz, what's your favorite color?"

Noiz looked taken aback, and Aoba put a hand over his face to hide his grin. What were they, first graders?

Through the gaps in his fingers, Aoba watched for Noiz's reaction. Whatever he did, he hoped the guy wasn't too rough on Clear.

"... green, I guess," Noiz answered. Aoba's hand flew away from his face to reveal a shocked expression. He was actually playing along?!

"Ah, green is a very beautiful color. My favorite color is yellow, because it's so bright!" Clear said. A sudden crowd of people made their way to the bar and were waving the bartenders down. Clear and Koujaku excused themselves to serve the customers, but not before Koujaku shot Noiz one last supposedly intimidating look.

Noiz scoffed at it, and then turned to look at a still-shocked Aoba.

"... what?" Noiz asked.

"I'm just... surprised, I guess," Aoba admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "Didn't really think you'd play along with Clear's game."

"Are you playing?" Noiz asked.

"... yeah, I guess?" Aoba replied dubiously.

"Then I'll ask my first question to you," Noiz said, and Aoba mentally braced himself. "That guy that offered to pay you for the night before me.. blond with glasses. How much did he offer you?"

Aoba frowned, wondering what Noiz was getting at. … wondering how he knew about that in the first place!

"... are you two accomplices or something?" Aoba asked with a glare, and Noiz frowned.

"I don't know the guy. I overheard you two talking. Obviously I didn't hear everything," Noiz explained.

"And even though I turned him down, you still asked for the same thing right after," Aoba drawled, unimpressed.

"Will you answer the question?" Noiz asked, burrowing his eyebrows. Aoba hesitated for a moment.

"... he offered five-hundred," Aoba conceded.

"And you still turned down my three thousand?" Noiz asked with a hint of disbelief. Aoba sat up straight and narrowed his eyes.

"Alright, my turn to ask a question. Why are you so obsessed with buying me for a night?" Aoba challenged.

"You're too selfless," Noiz answered immediately. He took a sip of his drink, though his eyes never strayed from the curious honey-colored ones in front of him. "That goody-two-shoes attitude of yours will only get you so far in life. I want to find the thing that finally makes you cave."

A single burst of laughter escaped from Aoba's lungs.

"You are the most cynical person I've ever met," Aoba answered. "Look, I'm only human, but not everything has to be done for the sake of getting something in return."

"So you'd turn down five-thousand dollars as well?" Noiz asked. Aoba stared at him before sighing deeply.

"Five-thousand, ten-thousand, whatever-thousand," Aoba replied, waving a hand in the air and standing up. "It's still a no. I'm about to perform, so I have to go. Indulge Clear with this Twenty-one Questions game at least a little more, alright?"

Aoba didn't even wait for an answer, walking away with Noiz's stare glued to his back.

* * *

_Longest chapter yet~_


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: **Somewhere In Between  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairing: ** Noiz/Aoba  
**WARNING: THIS STORY DEPICTS MALE/MALE RELATIONSHIPS.**

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**ATTENTION**

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**Sagta, username 'junjoupureheart' on Tumblr, will be illustrating this fic! To see her wonderful drawings, please find this story on Archive Of Our Own under the author 'realmspinner'. Thanks!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 06**

Hopeful pink eyes were staring him down.

Noiz regarded Clear with mild interest as he sipped at the alcoholic beverage that, once again, had gotten him a dirty look from the distrusting Koujaku. Clear, for whatever reason, seemed to be very excited about this game of Twenty-one Questions and was leaning forward in anticipation. After Aoba left, the white-haired bartender had sauntered right over and prompted Noiz for a question of his own.

Noiz wondered just how much Clear knew about Aoba. He pondered about weaseling some information Aoba probably would decline to provide himself. Then again, it was always so entertaining to coax it out of Aoba.

"How long have you known Aoba?" Noiz decided to go with. With a hum, Clear looked to the ceiling as if to recall.

"Has it been a year now? Something like that," Clear answered, shaking his hand back and forth. "I've worked here for years, so I met Aoba when he started. He wasn't very thrilled about working here."

Noiz raised an eyebrow.

"Then why did he get a job here?" Noiz asked.

"Nu uh!" Clear exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at his face. "You can't ask two questions in a row. It's my turn!"

Noiz shot him a look, but Clear looked unperturbed, flashing him a smile.

"Shoot," Noiz sighed, turning his gaze to his drink.

"What's your favorite food?"

Noiz raised a brow. Favorite color, favorite food... was this guy really going to stick with grade school questions?

"Pizza, I guess," Noiz answered. He turned in his seat to look out at the crowd, eyes stopping on the dancing figure of Aoba. "So why did he get this job?"

"Well, he needed the money, I guess. The economy is pretty mean," Clear pouted as if it were a great injustice. Noiz snorted at the understatement. "He couldn't find a job, so Koujaku got him one here."

Noiz frowned. There it was again, the fact Aoba needed money. He stared as the man moved around the pole, swaying with the beat, smile on his face. He had a small crowd around him, dancing and talking and offering a few bills here and there, which Aoba would bend down to pick up with a wink or a simple grin.

"Aoba is the perfect combination of sexy and cute, ne?" Clear suddenly asked. Noiz trailed his eyes back up Aoba's body until they landed on his face. Someone a couple seats down the bar held an empty glass up in the air and Clear excused himself as the words brewed in Noiz's mind.

"... I'd agree with that," Noiz muttered to himself, taking another sip of his drink. He took notice of two men leaning on the platform when Aoba stopped dancing to focus on them. One of the men yelled something up at Aoba, grinning as he twirled a finger in the air. Aoba looked a little sheepish, but nodded. He placed a hand high on the pole and suddenly lifted himself up, wrapping a leg around the silver bar and jutting his upper half out. Almost lying horizontally in the air, he swung his body around the pole over and over, slipping farther and farther down with every spin until he was skillfully lying on the ground and looking at the two guys upside down. The two men wooped and hollered for him, as did other guests around the area, and Aoba laughed as he stood back up. He collected his tip for the move and went back to dancing, answering things the two men were saying to him now and then.

'Stop trying. He's not going home with you,' Noiz thought, convinced the two men were flirting up a storm. When nothing but air was being sucked through his straw, Noiz set the glass down on the bar and checked his cell phone for the time. Rather than the clock, however, he was greeted with a new text notification. His phone had been on vibrate, but with the loud music of the club, he guessed he didn't notice it going off.

A few clicks later, and he was staring at another invitation from the Junkyard Boys. No apology for the last time, of course, but an invitation none-the-less.

Noiz's thumb twitched.

Without replying, he exited the text message and saw that it was going on 10:20pm. He wondered if Cookie was doing okay. This was the longest time he'd been away from the house since he bought the bunny. He'd definitely left enough food and water, though, so he figured she should be alright.

"Am I interrupting?"

Clear was back in front of him, casting curious glances at the phone in Noiz's hand. Noiz hesitated briefly before shoving it back in his pocket.

"Nah. What's your next question? Can you get me another one of these, though?" Noiz asked, sliding the empty glass closer to Clear.

"Sure!" Clear responded, quickly doing so. He raised his voice to be heard over the music as he made Noiz's drink. "I already asked the question! I didn't get an answer!"

Noiz blinked, trying to recall.

"... that was seriously a question for this game?" Noiz asked, realizing he was talking about when he called Aoba the perfect combination of sexy and cute.

"Why not?" Clear asked, walking back over with the drink. Noiz caught Koujaku curiously looking at them from the corner of his eye, but when he noticed Noiz's gaze, he quickly looked away.

Uncertain of how he should answer, Noiz shrugged.

"I guess I can see that," Noiz answered, sliding his fingers around the glass but leaving it where it lie. He squared his shoulders and looked straight into Clear's eyes. "Alright. If someone offered you five-thousand dollars to sleep with them for a night, would you do it?"

Clear didn't even bat an eyelash at the question.

"Five-thousand is a lot of money!" Clear admonished, suddenly looking excited. "I could decorate my room in the ocean theme I've always wanted! Sure, I'd do it!"

"Clear!" Koujaku suddenly interjected. By the look on his face, Noiz guessed he heard the exchange. Clear looked at him, confused, and Noiz just smirked.

"He's just being honest," Noiz remarked, taking a sip of his drink and taking amusement from Koujaku's glare.

"Don't let this guy fill your head with weird ideas," Koujaku said. Clear's confusion was replaced with understanding.

"Oh, don't worry, Koujaku! It was just a question, I don't think he was actually offering!" Clear said quickly. He turned back to Noiz. "You wouldn't, because you like Aoba, right?"

Koujaku threw a murderous look Noiz's way, even as Clear continued to cheerfully smile. Noiz wasn't sure what was funnier; the invisible daggers shooting him down or Clear's flippant nature.

"Aoba is definitely interesting," Noiz answered. He turned away from them, missing their reactions to the answer, though he had a good idea of what they were. His eyes found Aoba once again, and then he got out his phone again. 10:30pm. He was pretty sure Aoba's next break would be at eleven.

"I can't believe he still shows his face here. Fucking creep," a girl suddenly walked up to the bar next to Noiz with a man in tow. She slid into a seat and flagged Clear down. "Can I get a Bloody Mary, please?"

The man who'd followed her stood behind her because there were no other stools open.

"Which one?" The man asked, looking out into the crowd with his eyebrows furrowed. She leaned against his arm and pointed.

"The table in the middle; shaved head, green shirt. My brother has a restraining order on his ass," she commented distastefully. The guy wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Well just stick around me. I'll kick his ass if he even comes close," he threatened, to which the girl cooed and hugged him.

Noiz was not concerned with the interaction.

He was concerned about the fact the guy they were pointing at was the one who'd convinced Aoba into swinging down the pole earlier. And who still had his eyes on Aoba, along with his buddy sitting at his side.

Noiz set his drink down, not caring about it still being half-full, and stood up. He weaved his way through the crowd until he was looking up at Aoba. Aoba saw him approach and sent him a quick eyebrow raise, but continued to dance.

"So do you take requests?" Noiz shouted up to him, shoving his hands in his pockets. He'd normally appreciate the loud music and the thrumming beats coming through the club's speakers, but then again he was used to sitting at the bar alone. The music was just a hindrance when talking to others.

"What kind of request?" Aoba asked, dubious.

"One where you ride the pole," Noiz answered with a completely straight face. At Aoba's embarrassed glare, however, he smirked and shrugged. "Just following Clear's advice."

"Just go back over to the bar, will you?" Aoba exasperated, shooing Noiz away.

"When do you get off?" Noiz asked, not budging.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Defensive."

"... one AM," Aoba answered.

Noiz nodded, casting a glance out at the crowd before venturing back to the bar. For the next two-and-a-half hours, Noiz entertained himself by chatting with Clear, watching Aoba, playing games on his cell phone, and drinking. At about the sixth glass of alcohol, he became aware of his tipsy state and ordered water with a basket of chicken fingers. He felt no urge to get drunk tonight.

Clear's shift ended at one as well, and so at twelve-fifty, Clear was cleaning his area and untying his apron. Aoba has disappeared into the back rooms, likely to change out of his outfit.

"I'll be heading out soon. Night, Kou," Noiz said with a pointed look.

"Don't give me a nickname," Koujaku seethed.

"I'm gonna leave my outfit here so it can be washed," Aoba said, walking up. He glanced between Koujaku and Noiz with a slight frown.

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, Aoba, be safe," Koujaku replied. Aoba looked up at Noiz, noticing he was standing.

"You're leaving too?" Aoba asked.

"Yeah," Noiz answered shortly. Aoba threw him a look and walked around him. Noiz soon followed. It wasn't until they both walked outside the club that Aoba turned back to him with narrowed eyes.

"I hope you aren't thinking of following me home," Aoba accused. Noiz quietly 'hmphed'.

"I have to go this way, anyway," Noiz said, pointing in the opposite direction Aoba's body was turned toward. Noiz quickly scanned the area, but saw nothing.

"Give Cookie a pat for me, then," Aoba said with a short wave. He turned and began walking down the sidewalk.

"You'll be coming to see her sometime anyway!" Noiz said. Aoba didn't turn around, but lazily waved his hand in the air to show he heard and possibly to show he disregarded the fact completely.

'Cheeky,' Noiz thought, turning to walk home.

From the corner of his eye, he caught two figures walking out of a small convenience store on the other side of the street. One proper glance determined their identities. A couple seconds of watching them.. their path, their gazes.. determined they were likely following Aoba.

He turned back around.

"Oi, Aoba!" Noiz spoke loudly, his voice echoing between the buildings around them. The two men, about to cross the street, stopped in their tracks to look his way, but Noiz purposefully acted like he didn't even notice them.

Ahead of him, Aoba had stopped and looked back. Noiz casually started walking his way.

"What?" Aoba asked. When he received no immediate answer, he scowled, and started walking back as well. It seemed more polite than just standing there waiting for Noiz to catch up to him. When the blond was only a few feet away, he asked again. "What?"

"You're pretty popular, huh?" Noiz asked, keeping his voice low. Aoba's scowl deepened.

"Wha-"

"Across the street. You have a couple of stalkers," Noiz continued. Aoba furrowed his brows and, to Noiz's surprise, didn't whip his head to look, but rather subtly shifted his eyes.

"... you're sure they're following me?" Aoba asked.

"One of them already has a restraining order against him," Noiz answered. Aoba sighed.

"I'm not even going to ask how you know that, but.." Aoba said, finally deciding to make the fact he knew they were there known.

… by not-so-subtly lifting his arm and flipping them off.

The two men seemed agitated by the sudden attention and quickly left the scene, walking away from the pair until they were out of sight.

"... I feel like you've had this happen before," Noiz said, and Aoba chuckled dryly.

"Because I have," Aoba responded. "Thanks for the warning, though."

"Figured I'd play my role as Prince Charming and save a damsel in distress," Noiz shrugged. Aoba straightened his shoulders.

"Whoa, whoa, damsel? I can take care of myself," Aoba retorted, narrowing his eyes.

"That's what they always say," Noiz said with a sigh that further ruffled Aoba's feathers.

"Well I'm telling the truth," Aoba said, crossing his arms. Noiz looked vaguely intrigued.

"Show me a punch, then," Noiz provoked.

"You want me to hit you!?"

"Right here," Noiz said, holding out his hand, palm facing Aoba. "As hard as you can."

"I'm not throwing a punch at you!" Aoba rebutted.

"It's not at me. It's at my hand."

Aoba did not appreciate the sarcasm.

"Same difference!"

"Though you're welcome to throw one at me, too," Noiz challenged, a glint in his eyes. "You'll find yourself flat on the ground, though."

Aoba's eyebrow twitched.

"Aren't you cocky," Aoba drawled, crossing his arms.

"You're the cocky one, saying you can hold your own. Prove it."

"... fine," Aoba agreed begrudgingly, though still unsure. He reared his arm back, staring at the pale open palm in front of him. He was hesitant to put all his power into the punch. Even though he figured Noiz had had much worse done to him, hurting Noiz was not something on the top of his list of things to accomplish. On the other hand, he didn't want to appear weak... because he really wasn't, and that mocking smirk on Noiz's face was pissing him off.

He swung his arm forward. With a smack, his knuckles hit Noiz's palm, pushing it back. Noiz, braced for the attack, closed his fingers around Aoba's fist, feeling a quiet burn flare up his hand. Aoba stood there for a second, recovering from exerting such force, before pulling his hand back and stretching out his fingers. Noiz put his own hand down.

"... not bad," Noiz commented. A sense of pride prickled in Aoba's chest. "...but not good either."

The sense of pride was immediately crushed, and Aoba grit his teeth. He really hated how cocky Noiz was. The need to prove him wrong was bubbling inside of him.

Without a word, Aoba stepped back and steadied himself. If a punch didn't impress the blond, then...!

Aoba gracefully and powerfully lifted his leg and flung a high-flying kick right at Noiz's face. Noiz barely had enough time to assess the situation and move his head back before Aoba's foot flew in front of his face, centimeters away from his nose. Noiz's bangs swayed from the quick movement.

The sense of pride came back two-fold upon seeing the expression of surprise on Noiz's face.

"I'm glad _you_ can take care of yourself. That just may have knocked you out," Aoba bragged, grinning. He decided to leave it like that and turn around, re-initiating his journey home.

He was too far away to hear Noiz respond under his breath.

"… it wouldn't have knocked me out," Noiz muttered sulkily.

* * *

With birds happily chirping outside the open window and bellies full of cereal, Sei and Aoba were lounging on Sei's bed, watching videos on Sei's laptop. Snickering would turn to all-out laughing, and amusing comments would be thrown between them. Sei was already dressed and ready to go to the pet shop in about an hour, and Aoba had woken up surprisingly early feeling refreshed enough to climb out of bed. He was too lazy to change out of his boxers and t-shirt, however.

"Go get me a muffin," Sei said, giving Aoba's side a light push with his sock-covered foot. Aoba scowled.

"You just ate!" Aoba rebutted.

"I'm still hungry," Sei said with a pout. "Please?"

With a dramatic sigh, Aoba crawled off the bed and made his way to the kitchen. From where the muffins were placed on the counter, he could see Tae in the living room, hands busily knitting. Aoba hoped it wasn't another scarf. They had an entire collection in the closet, due to Tae's love for the needle and thread.

Right as Aoba stepped back into the bedroom, muffin in hand, a familiar ring tone filled the air. Sei, being closest to the nightstand the cell was sitting on, rolled across the bed and grabbed it.

"Hm? A blank entry?" Sei questioned, blinking at the unnamed number on the screen as the phone continued to ring. Aoba raised a brow, setting Sei's muffin on the bed and holding out his hand. It wasn't until the cell was in his palm that he realized what an unnamed number meant. The only number in his cellphone that wasn't labeled was Noiz's.

He hesitated to answer, but with Sei staring at him expectantly, he inwardly sighed and accepted the call.

* * *

_You guys are wonderful, I appreciate the reviews, and for those who also follow this story on Tumblr or ArchiveOfOurOwn, I apologize that the chaps are taking longer to be posted on there._


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